YouTube to go mobile with Vodafone

YouTube will soon be available to Vodafone mobile phone users.

YouTube Mobile users will be able to view a selection of videos that is updated daily, forward their favourite links to friends and upload their own videos directly from their phones.

Earlier this week Vodafone announced similar deals to make popular online services MySpace and eBay available on Vodafone mobiles. Vodafone has also recently unveiled a virtual island in Second Life.

A Vodafone spokeswoman said these mobile Web 2.0 services are "absolutely" part of the company's strategy to add brands it believes will meet customers' needs.

"We're continually looking at what customers are doing on the Internet and the way that they are using their phones and the way they want to use their phones," she added.

The service will be accessed through the Vodafone Live Web portal, which is currently available on 4.7 million handsets.

YouTube Mobile will be available later in the year. Pricing details have not yet been announced.